Should I upgrade to the Apple iPad Air ?

With the Apple iPad Air you get better ergonomics, making it easier to hold and handle the device with one hand. Its also much lighter weight just one pound, which is 28% lighter than the previous model. It has also gotten 20% thinner as well. While casual users may not be hugely affected by these changes, those who use their iPads for heavy reading or carry it around a lot will definitely appropriate the changes it offers.

So if you are wondering whether or not you should upgrade to the new iPad Air, keep reading as we go through the main differences between the older iPads and the new one:

Original iPad (2010 edition) owners get the following enhancements when upgrading to the iPad Air

• An 8x performance gain
• A Retina Grade (2592 x 1944 pixels) resolution compared to the 1024 x 768 pixels resolution on the original
• Front and rear facing cameras
• A device which is much lighter and thinner
• Smaller lightning connector which connects most new iOS devices

Apple iPad 2 owners get the following enhancements when upgrading to the iPad Air

• A big performance gain
• A Retina Grade (2592 x 1944 pixels) resolution compared to the 1024 x 768 pixels resolution on the original
• Greatly improved front and rear camera
• Lighter and thinner device
• Smaller lightning connector which connects most new iOS devices

Apple iPad 3 and Apple iPad 4 owners get the following enhancements when upgrading to the iPad Air

• Slight but noticeable performance improvements
• lighter and slightly thinner device
• Smaller lightning connector which connects most new iOS devices (iPad 3)

While the Apple iPad Air is a very reasonable upgrade for the original iPad and iPad 2 owners, we think you should skip this year if you own an iPad 3 or iPad 4. Even iPad 2 owners could consider keeping their trusty devices around for another year, since the tablet is still on Apple's device portfolio.

Should I upgrade to the Apple iPad mini with Retina ? The Apple iPad mini with Retina Display comes with a higher resolution display and a powerful Apple A7 processor. Check this out if you are wondering if you should upgrade to the iPad mini 2 from the original iPad mini

You may also want to check out the Microsoft Surface 2 which comes with a great snap-in keyboard, a full USB port and an innovative stand. You may also want to consider the Nokia Lumia 2520, the company's first tablet which is great for use outdoors with 4G LTE connectivity included. Both Windows tablets are privced competitively with the iPad and should make great alternatives.